Imagine a world where Europeans never discovered America, what would it look like today? What about the world? Nothing you know would exist, actually to think about it you wouldn't either. none of us would. (Actually that sounds like a good extra credit assignment. so If you have something to say about that why not leave me a response in the comments section)That's one of the fascinating things about history, the events make us and shape us. No matter how hard they may be to stomach or think about. Take for instance the two Ages we will be exploring in class this week, the Scientific Revolution & the Age of Exploration.

The Scientific Revolution (S.R.) is really an extension of the Renaissance because Humanist Ideas encouraged people to question their place in the universe (Were they at the center or were they three planets off?). From Copernicus to Galileo and beyond it is during this period that we have the beginnings of modern scientific thought. Copernicus questioned our place in the big picture, and instead of just accepting things he did something about it and charted the night skies, to discover that we were part of a larger picture. Galileo, also looked to the night using a "toy" called a telescope and discovered that the planet Saturn also had moons, and that our moon was not a perfect sphere as was suggested, by tradition.

The Age of Exploration led Europeans to realize that there was a whole uncharted territory on the other half of the Earth, and set off an epic land grab. Especially after the news that "cities of Gold" populated the new territory, faster and lighter ships were developed, new inventions of exploration were developed colonies were established, & indigenous populations were displaced, creating an amalgamation of multiple cultures, crafting new cultural identities for both colonizer and colonized.

Important Stuff from Class Monday: shared an important DBQ w/you on Drive